Pulusu Vadai

Ingredients

• 1 cup Parboiled rice (idli rice)
• 1 cup Finely chopped red pumpkin
• 10 Dried red chili
• நெல்லிக்காய் அளவு Tamarind
• as needed Salt
• 1 pinch Asafoetida
• 2 Tablespoons Finely chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves
• 1 Tablespoon Chana dal (soaked in water for 1/2 hour)
• Oil (as needed, for frying)

Instructions

1. Wash the rice and soak in lukewarm water for 2 hours.
2. While grinding, add the chili, cooked pumpkin, soaked tamarind, and salt, and grind into a thick paste, without adding water.
3. Mix the soaked chana dal, coriander, curry leaves, and asafoetida powder into the ground batter.
4. Shape lemon-sized balls, flatten thin on a damp cloth, and deep-fry in oil.
5. Alternative method: (1) soak 1/4 cup of raw rice along with the parboiled rice and grind together. (2) In place of the pumpkin, a handful of soaked toor dal and 1½ tablespoons of grated coconut can be ground in. (3) Boiled yam can be used instead of pumpkin, ground into the batter to make the vadai.